Good, light Power Amp

I saw a small (1 rackspace, I think) Peavey poweramp - I think 700W/side. I have been considering upgrading from the combo amp I've been using and maybe going with an SVP-Pro preamp and a lightweight poweramp.

I'm thinking if I could get something like the Peavey, I would have one rockin rig with very minimal weight. I really don't need 700W/side though and I think 300-350W/side would work. Any ideas on other options?

Are there downsides to buying the pre and power amps seperately as opposed to just buying one head? I am guessing the brand of the power amp doesn't affect the overall tone (please let me know if I'm wrong), so something small, light, reliable and relatively inexpensive would be awesome.

The Peavey DPC1400 and Stewart World 1.2 put out a lot of power for single-rack-space amps. I hear the Stewart gets superhot though, which explains why half of it is heat sink. Stewart might make a lower powered model with the same form factor.

There advantage of getting a separate power amp is that most integrated bass heads don't put out 1400W and above. If you want oodles of power, the best way to get it is to invest in a pre/power/cab setup.

I use a QSC PLX 1602 and like it. If you are limited to just 2 rack spaces for preamp and amp, you might want to check out SoundTech's PS802...one space, 400 watts/side into 4 ohms, 16lbs. I hear they can be had for as low as $325 new.

I've done the pre-amp / power amp thing for the past 10 years. One advantage is easier maintainance. If one part goes down, you can swap it out and keep on playing . With an amp head, if the power amp section goes you're gonna have to replace the whole thing in order to get it fixed. Another advantage is flexability and added power. For instance you can get a Sansamp pre-amp for around $300 and a Carvin DPC 1000 $369 and a SKB roto for around $70. You have a rig putting out 600 watts at 8 ohms (bridged) or 1000 watts into 4ohms bridged. for under $800. There arn't many amp heads that will touch that kind of power or flexability for that kind of money. jmho